Former NFL RB Merril Hoge Is Suing The Makers Of Roundup, Claiming It Caused His Cancer

PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 7: Merril Hoge, a football analyst for ESPN television and a former running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears, looks on from the sideline before a game between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on September 7, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers defeated the Browns 30-27. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

Back in 2003, former NFL running back Merril Hoge was diagnosed with stage II Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy and beat the cancer into remission. This week, it’s been revealed that Hoge believes he knows why he got cancer in the first place.

Hoge is suing Monsanto, the makers of Roundup, in U.S. District Court in Idaho. According to ESPN, Hoge is one of more than 18,000 people suing the company with similar claims.

Hoge says he started using Roundup back in 1977 while working on a farm. Here’s more:

In the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Idaho, Hoge claims that he began using Roundup while working on a farm in Idaho in 1977. The suit claims that “Plaintiff’s Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma was proximately and actually caused by exposure to Defendant’s Roundup products. … As a result of his injury, Plaintiff has incurred significant economic and noneconomic damages.”

A number of other cases have ended in favor of the plaintiffs. One couple – Alva and Alberta Pilliod – were awarded $87 million.

Today former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Merril Hoge and his attorney Joe Osborne of Osborne & Francis law firm addressed the national media in regard to Mr. Hoge’s lawsuit recently filed against Monsanto over claims Roundup weed killer caused his Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. pic.twitter.com/aSMRYgBQG8

Hoge was drafted in the 10th round of the 1987 NFL Draft and played for the Pittsburgh Steelers for seven seasons before finishing his career with the Chicago Bears in 1994. He rushed for 3,139 yards and 21 touchdowns in his career.

Hoge then landed with ESPN as a football analyst in 1996. He was laid off in 2017.